2 minute read
59 Super Model
from Cove magazine
SUPER MODEL
McLaren introduces the new Artura coupe.
WORDS CHRIS NIXON
ENTHUSIASTS for Britain’s McLaren sports car have met a fresh temptation in the form of the all-new Artura coupe, which made a pre-sale visit to the Gold Coast and Brisbane recently at the start of a national tour.
The Artura will be priced at $449,500 (plus on-road costs) when the first local supply lands in the fourth quarter of this year.
That’s firmly in Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin territory, give or take a few over-priced options.
What’s new? Well, you can save on petrol. Here’s why:
The Artura differs from rivals in this price range in using hybrid-electric engine power, a first for a mainstreammodel McLaren.
A robust rear-mounted electric motor with battery charged from either onboard regeneration or a mains source is combined with a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine of 3.0 litres’ capacity. (The V6 also is new. Modern McLarens have been V8s until now, but the V6 saves 50kg and valuable space for electric gubbins in the engine compartment.)
The result of this is a hefty 500 kiloWatt power output.
It will propel the car from rest to 100 kmh in 3.0 seconds and on to a governed top speed of 330 kmh.
But importantly, fuel consumption in hybrid mode is claimed to be as little as 5.5 litres per 100 kms, with corresponding low emissions outputs. That’s as parsimonious as many small hatchbacks.
A hi-tech chassis made of moulded carbonfibre helps this performance.
The Artura weighs less than 1500 kg at the kerb, light for such a complex vehicle loaded with a big battery – although it should be noted that every electric vehicle weighs more than its fossil-fuel equivalent because of the batteries.
McLaren says the bodywork in carbonfibre and aluminium is effectively shrink-wrapped around the chassis to allow an efficient aerodynamic shape.
For the Artura’s relatively light weight, say thanks to McLaren’s decades of hightech experience in Formula 1, surpassed only by Ferrari.
The company’s design and engineering focuses on the Formula 1 principles of light weight and mechanical efficiency.
Some purist reviewers say this aesthetic results in cars that are fast but lack soul.
Only long-term owners can really make a reliable judgement on this, but I’ve never driven a McLaren I didn’t enjoy for its agility, speed and pared-back comfort.
